For the love of Noah
by SparrowFae
Summary: I am angry that my favorite female character so far has already died. Here's my therapy. Suggested Lydia/HRG, with help from Claire.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Heroes, it belongs to Tim Kring and company. I just don't like the ending of "The Art of Deception." Spoilers for that episode.

**Story:** Lydia gets a second chance and finds something surprising and new.

Shots were fired, from many directions, striking and felling several people. Lydia felt the shock of pain in her chest, looked down at the blood on her white dress, and fell. Samuel crouched beside her, touched her, and she saw what he had done. Her eyes widened in anger and hatred. He placed his mouth next to her ear, and whispered, "I did this for all of us. So we can have a better life. This is why you will die, now, for the betterment of our family." She felt herself slipping into darkness, and he lay her down. But she wasn't dead. She felt like she was dreaming. She heard no sounds, felt nothing under her, or around her, but she felt alive, just barely.

A sudden grip on her arm, and pain in her chest brought her back to consciousness. A familiar round face, framed with now tousled blond hair, loomed into her line of sight. She thought she said, "Claire." But she wasn't sure if she had even opened her mouth. She saw a flash of silver, then a stripe of dark red blood…. A moment or so later, she felt her body reconnecting with her brain. A brief shock of pain in her chest, and then it went away. She tried wiggling her fingers and toes, and it worked. She started to pull herself up, but Claire stopped her. "Everyone thinks you're dead, so you have to pretend you still are." Lydia complied, but whispered, "I know it wasn't Noah. Samuel did this, and he had me shot specifically on purpose." Claire nodded. "I have a plan to stop Samuel, and free my dad. Will you help me?" Lydia tilted her chin down, ever so slightly, in a quick nod. "Good. I'm going to drag you behind one of the trailers, so you can sneak to the house of mirrors. That's where my dad is. I don't know if he's alone, though." Lydia felt Claire's silky soft hands grip her wrists, and pull her arms above her head. The rough straw, grass, and occasional rocks under her body caused her some discomfort, but she kept her face calm and serene, her eyes closed.

Behind the fire-eaters' trailer, she stood up and stretched her long lithe body, then scratched an itch where the bullet hole had once been. Tiny Claire Bennet peered hard into her face, resolve sparking in her blue eyes. "I have to go play captive outsider for Samuel, and all that. You just get to my dad, get him free, and the two of you sneak out into the woods, if you can. I'll find a way back to you, when everyone goes to sleep." Then she was gone.

Lydia began creeping silently toward the House of Mirrors, staying in the shadows of the trailers. When she got to the end of the housing quarters, she had to carefully avoid the bars of light where there were spaces between each building. She could see Samuel, once, his back turned to her, signing something to the deaf woman…Emma? She kept moving, and finally got to her destination. She knew the back way in, and snuck as quietly as possible through the mirrored walls she knew so well. She had no trouble finding openings, for this had been part of her home for so long, she barely even noticed her reflections stalking along on all sides. She heard a rasp of breath to her left, in the center of the house. Edging carefully along the corners, hoping it was just the two of them, she peeked around and saw the beaten and bound form of handsome Noah Bennet. After a quick scan of the room, she knew they were alone. Lydia stood up straight and walked up to the man who might save her family, or destroy it. At the sound of her footsteps, he lifted his head and gasped at the sight of her. "Do I look that bad?" she said with a soft laugh. He cleared his throat, gulped, and spoke in a dry whisper. "I saw you die." Confusion still played on his face while she untied his bonds, but when she looked into his beautiful eyes once more, realization had struck them. "Claire. Did she…heal you?" Lydia smiled and nodded. "Your daughter is very special. She wants us to hide in the woods, and wait for her to join us tonight. I only wish I could take my own daughter away with us, too."

Noah rubbed his red wrists, then lay a strong but gentle hand on her arm. He didn't know it, but he'd made a connection with her. His eyes widened for a moment, but she didn't notice, because she was seeing his life. She knew every heart ache, every joy and loss he'd experienced. And in that moment, she loved him. She couldn't help it, even though he was so opposite from her.

When her mind cleared, and she was again looking into his strong handsome face, she saw that he'd seen her inner self, too. Emotions taking over, she brushed her long hand across his cheek, and he reached up to tuck a wavy lock of hair behind her ear. Before they could think, their lips met in a kiss like no other either had experienced. When they parted, the air seemed to clear, and the world came crashing back down on them. "We have to get out of here, "she blurted, grasping his hand and pulling him out of the chair. She kept his hand in hers, so as to lead him through the maze of mirrors, and back out the door she'd entered through. When they got to the muddy back area, Noah took the lead, and they headed into the woods. "Uh, Lauren, my….girlfriend," Noah cleared his throat nervously. Lydia nodded. "You left her out here, we need to find her. We'll deal with the rest of this…later." She understood tact, and common courtesy. She took one last look back at the carnival that had been her life, and then her death, hoping to catch a glimpse of Amanda. It ached to leave her a second time, but she was just so impressionable. She had instantly believed any lie Samuel had offered her. When this war was over, they would be reunited, but for now, they were on opposing sides.


End file.
